Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Theatrical Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Theatrical Edition)
Movie Review: Is It Really That Bad?
Summary: 5 Stars
This boxset has more differing opinions than any other. They range from, "This is the best trilogy of all time, so buy immediately!" to "George Lucas is being a [insert insult here] for not giving this trilogy the proper DVD treatment."
So, where do I stand on this?
I'll start with the 1997 Special Editions that have been given the deluxe DVD treatment with crisp picture & audio. To me, they're not really all that different, and most of the enhancements are positive. Quite frankly, the nitpicks people have about "Star Wars" and "Empire Strikes Back" are just nitpicks, in my opinion. I love how Cloud City and Tatooine look more alive. I like how The Emperor is now the same actor in the other movies. I appreciate the improved special effects with the space battles and overall look. I will concede that the scenes with Jabba The Hut in "Star Wars", and the Greedo/Han confrontation might not sit well with some people for various reasons. I frankly don't think they're that big of a deal, but that's just me.
I will admit that many of the changes in "Return of the Jedi" are completely unnecessary. Jabba The Hutt's band has gone from a background jazzy ensemble to a boisterous front-and-center singing band, and it's very distracting to me. The music in the original 1983 was just fine, but this 1997 composition and those out-of-place performances don't mesh with Jabba's execution of his dancer. Another music change is that the beloved Ewok's "Yub-Yub" anthem has been replaced with a montage of planets celebrating the defeat of the Empire. I find this change more acceptable, but unnecessary. I guess you can flip a coin on that one.
So, to quickly recap:
I think "Star Wars" and "Empire Strikes Back" are just fine (occasionally better) in their Special Edition treatment. "Return of the Jedi" has some of the most distracting changes, to me.
Now the other big debate going on with this boxset is how the original theatrical versions of this trilogy haven't been given a beautiful restoration like the Special Editions. The real reason is that George Lucas doesn't want to, because he doesn't prefer them. My question to you is this, "So what?"
The reason I don't think people should care so much about this is because so many other beloved classics don't get the pristine treatment they deserve, yet we still bought them. I love and appreciate how many classics like "Citizen Kane", "The Godfather", "Casablanca", "Lawrence of Arabia", "2001: A Spac Odyssey", "Ben-Hur", etc etc etc... have received the deluxe DVD treatment with improved DVD quality.
But would any of those movies --- or any other, for that matter --- be worse simply because they didn't look & sound great on DVD. Movies as old as the "Star Wars" Trilogy don't look that great on TV anyway. We weren't complaining when we had VHS tapes and LaserDiscs. What I think Lucas-haters are forgetting is that this "Star Wars" Trilogy is still one of the most compelling trilogies in motion picture history, and they were great acheivements long before DVDs were invented. I popped in every one of the theatrical discs on my Vizio HD TV, and it like watching an old film reel. The image was a tad grainy and the surround sound wasn't there, but so what? These movies are 30 years old! I know of hundreds of younger movies that don't get THX, Skywalker Sound, Industrial Light & Magic, Dolby Surround, and so on & so forth.
Do I wish George Lucas would release the theatrical versions with the same craftsmanship LucasFilm gave to the Special Edition re-releases? Absolutely.
But do I need that to happen? No, because the trilogy was great enough and stunning enough without that extra shine on the movie. John Williams' music still stirs my spirits. The space battles are thrilling as always. The imagination behinds those creatures and planets will inspire many no matter which way these movies are watched. The characters are as memorable as they ever were, and rightfully remain cinematic & pop culture icons. Simply put - the "Star Wars Trilogy" is a masterful collection no matter which way you see it.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions and preferences, but I think people were so spoiled by the superb DVD treatments of other "Star Wars" DVDs that they oughta be grateful they can still see the original versions in some fashion. Many naysayers are forgetting what's really important about the "Star Wars Trilogy" DVD set --- you're getting 2 versions of 3 incredible movies! Give it a rest.
Movie Review: GREAT MOVIES
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a purchase that I'm very glad with. I have a few complaints but they're relatively minor so I'll just go ahead and list them. I would have like to have been able to see the Originals re-mastered without the CGI images. But ultimately even that doesn't bother me too much for chances are if they re-mastered it, they would ruin the colors, and I'd prefer to watch the originals in their original bright color than ONLY have the option of watching them re-mastered in a darker appearance. Also it would be nice to be able to watch the 1997 versions without the minor changes. I'm not talking about the CGI images that George Lucas implanted in the films like 12 years ago. I'm referring to the DVD changes such as having the older Anakin ghost in the ROTJ replaced with the new Anakin played by Hayden Christensen from the newer series. But even this isn't so bad because while the new Anakin's appearance is very awkward, there's no way the new Anakin and older Anakin could have ever been mistaken for one another. This just seems to tie the two series together. Some people may prefer to pretend that the new films had never been made, but these people would probably prefer to watch the older versions anyway. They might complain that they aren't re-mastered, but I personally, as mentioned before, prefer the version available to a re-mastered one where the color would probably be darkened. So basically the only real complaint here is that it would be nice to have a few extra options in addition to the two options already available for there are so many different ways they could have released it. Ultimately though, I would choose the two versions of the films made available here over any other two options(a re-mastered version without CGI, and A CGI version w/o the DVD changes(200x)) any day. To those of you who just want a re-mastered version of the original release, I feel some sympathy, but hold on. He might release them, and it's not like these DVDs are any worse than those laserdiscs you've been stockpiling. All the same though, some people seem to be all too ready to get mad at George Lucas for this release and who knows what else. They seem to have forgotten that these films are his creation. While I'll admit he's made mistakes such as adding aliens or I'm sorry "inter-dimensional beings" to the Indiana Jones series, I would still choose his recent mistakes over no new films at all. It's not fair in my opinion to say he's lost all his ability to entertain. He's just gotten a cornier sense of humor as he's gotten older. So with all my complaints out of the way, I would like to say that it's great to be able to watch one of my favorite movie series on DVD. It's amazing that such a film could remain enjoyable to me after the many times I've watched it. I don't think there will ever be a movie villain quite like Darth Vader or space battles like the ones found here in these movies. Classic? Even though the special effects have become dated, it would definitely would seem so. It was worth the purchase for me.Movie Review: The original classics.
Summary: 5 Stars
Ah; the classic Star Wars trilogy. What is there to say? These movies launched an entire franchise and, for many fans, a lifestyle. There are people who devote their entire lives to following the franchise in all its forms. And it's easy to see why.
This began the story, with the introduction of protagonist Luke Skywalker, his mentor, the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, and an entire galaxy's worth of a cast, including veteran stage and film actor Peter Cushing and the always-entertaining Harrison Ford.
In the prequel trilogy, the rise of the Galactic Empire is seen. This trilogy, however, focuses on the events of nineteen years later; on the Rebel Alliance and their fight to restore freedom to the galaxy. The end of Darth Vader, formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, is every bit as dramatic as his fall to the Dark Side in the prequel and the closing of the saga is just as entertaining now as it was twenty years ago.
The trilogy has been digitally remastered two or three times at this point, and this includes all of the footage added for the Special Edition rerelease of the films in the mid-90s. From the additional background characters in certain shots to redone sequences to an entirely new musical number in Jabba's Palace, Lucas went all-out to improve the look and feel of these movies, and his efforts were not in vain.
I purchased this and the prequel trilogy in these thinpack box sets. Each movie has with it a second disc that has lots of bonus features. Whether you're like me and like to sit and watch all six in a day-long marathon, or watch one a day to stretch the enjoyment out all week, or just want to pull out a particular favorite to watch once in a while, these sets are perfect. (And you can pick up both for about what you'd pay for a single trilogy in normal-size cases in a retail store.) If you're a Star Wars fan, these sets are the perfect way to treat yourself. (Even if you're not a fan, they make the perfect gift for someone who is.)
Movie Review: Original and Special Editions Trilogy - Definitive
Summary: 5 Stars
This box contains the previously released "limited edition" 2-disc sets, now in 3 slim-line cases, which means you get STAR WARS, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and RETURN OF THE JEDI in both the original theatrical versions (for the first time on DVD!) and the re-worked "special editions" from the mid 90's.
I purchased these mainly for the original theatrical versions and my comments relate to those versions only.
The Original Theatrical versions are in their original 2.35:1 Widescreen aspect, letterboxed within a 3x4 screen format - not anamorphic - which is clearly indicated on the packaging. You can view this "full-size" on your 16x9 TV by setting your DVD player's HDMI output to 3x4/pillar-box if necessary, and then setting your TV to "zoom" so that the screen is filled side to side with the picture. There will be slim black bars on the top and bottom, just as there are on anamorphic DVD's with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
Even with the zoom in effect, the picture is crystal clear and the color great. I'm using an upconvert DVD player with HDMI output (1080p), and a 50-inch plasma HD television. Some have said in reviews that the picture quality is poor, even "VHS quality", but that's totally false. I've read that the originals here were taken from the laser-disc masters done in the early 90's; well, they look great however they were sourced. The sound is Dolby 2.0 Stereo (as indicated on the package) and sounds excellent. I get some center-channel and sub-woofer action as well as the stereo music and sound-effects on my system.
If a blu-ray/HD version is ever issued, that will be great and an improvement; but this is the only way to get the original films on DVD at this time, and they look great, so this set is essential for fans who saw these movies in theatres when they were released between 1977 and 1983 and want to see them once again in their original glory.
Movie Review: Now, yer talkin'
Summary: 5 Stars
I will try to keep this review terse. (long-winded blow-hard like me? HA!)
There is a night-and-day difference between this set and its counterpart. Yes, it looks dated in spots. Yes, the green-screen effects occaisionally throw a glitch into the works. And yes, the non-human characters look like puppets and costumes, but the original releases are of a much higher caliber than the new ones. Maybe it's just how old I am, what I am used to, but Episodes IV through VI, are just better movies, period.
Anakin Skywalker is now in full Darth Vader mode, drunk with power, and his offspring, Leia and Luke are leading an organization set on overthrowing his regime. As with its precursor, you must take the time to sit through all three installments to better grasp the story, but each does hold up on its own.
Again, maybe it's my age group, but I think the outer space visuals are phenomenal. And the scenery is more what I imagine a life-friendly place to look like. And, having characters actually in front of the camera, does hold a tactile sensation that the digital age seems to be bent on undoing. But old meets new here, as some segments of the older films are occaisionally given CGI treatments. Done sparingly, it works beautifully. Done to excess, it is just sterile. It could have been helpful to use the advent of CGI to make the puppet characters' facial expressions more life-like. They seemingly spared no expense in putting out the new and re-issuing the old, so why not?
But, as I have said, my bias leans heavily on this box, instead of the other. And sitting through all of it, is like watching a movie that is almost 15 hours long. Don't do this often, or it will wear you down...
"...May the Force be with you..."